Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

I'm New To This & I Really Need Help!

tgtexas5

Recommended Posts

tgtexas5 Newbie
tgtexas5
Posted

Hi everyone, my name is Josh and I'm 23 years old. I'm new to this forum and to Celiac disease, I haven't got an official diagnosis yet but I know I'm barking up the right tree.I used to weigh 310. I've lost 80 pounds in the last 8 months but I started having symptoms about 3 months ago, It was hell on earth. I just woke up one day with really bad brain fog, diarrhea and mucus in my stool (Sorry if TMI) and I just felt really lethargic and had. I had light sensitivity and a host of other symptoms. As the next few days went on things just got incredibly worse. I went to the ER and they told me I was dehydrated and my potassium was low, gave me a saline drip and sent me home. Went two more time in the next couple of months and nothing. I went to my doc and he ran some tests and my thyroid levels were:

TSH 0.63 uIU//mL

Free T4 0.82 ng/dl

Free T3 2.50 pg/mL

My doctor said it was fine. One day I realized that I always felt really bad after I ate. If I ate something high in gluten I would have a physical allergic reaction and get so mad for no reason. So I did some research and I tried to elimnate gluten as much as possible. I started to feel better but not back to normal. The brain fog lightened up, the light sensitivity went away, my stool was more normal and I had a little more energy and I wasn't getting mad. I only got the mucus if I got glutened. This lasted for a couple of weeks and now it's almost like being back at square one. I'm not eating gluten but I get the mucus and the brain fog has gotten a little worse, I'm fatigued. This biggest thing for me is the brain fog and memory issues. My short term and long term memory haven't been good. Sometimes I have to work hard to remember details from a couple of days before. I remember things that happened a long time ago but my thought a really fuzzy so it makes it difficult. I've also lost interest in things I used to love.

I'm seeing a new doctor and he sys it sounds like some sort of malabsorption. He was the first doctor to actually listen. It felt so great to have someone take me seriously. He ordered test for my B12, Folic Acid, Vitamin D, Iron, Ferratin, and 3 gluten antibody tests. It's been a few days and I'm still waiting to get them back but they shouls come soon. I also have a lot of undigested food in my stool. If I eat spinach, I see spinach, I saw a whole sweet pea one time. I bought some plant based digestive enzymes but they haven't arrived yet. Do you think they will work? I know I need to get some vitamins but I'm very low on cash so I only ordered the enzymes because I felt they would help to get to the source of the problem. Has anyone else had memory issues? If so how long did you deal with it, how bad was it and did you recover? I just want my sharp mind and clarity back.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


guest134 Apprentice
guest134
Posted

Was the weight loss intentional? What is your labs free t ranges?

Cara in Boston Enthusiast
Cara in Boston
Posted

Be aware that if you have been eating gluten free, the blood tests will likely be negative. The antibodies will only be present if you are eating gluten.

Sounds like you are on the right track, but maybe you are still accidently getting gluten. I had a set back early in the diet and began to question if I was on the right track. Turned out that there was gluten in the B vitamin I was taking. Even the smallest amount - like from cross contamination - can keep you feeling sick.

tgtexas5 Newbie
tgtexas5
Posted
  • Author

Thank you guys for replying. Yes, the labs were free T's and no the weight loss was not intentional. I read that as long you haven't been gluten free for too many months the antibodies will still show up. I considered cross contamination but I try to thoroughly wash everything before I use it. I'm hoping to start with a multi, B12 and some digestive enzymes asap.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,948
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Stephanie94
    Newest Member
    Stephanie94
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Jacki Espo
      Covid caused reoccurrence of DH without eating gluten

      By Jacki Espo · Posted

      This happened to me as well. What’s weirder is that within a couple hours of taking paxlovid it subsided. I thought maybe I got glutened but after reading your post not so sure. 
    • Mari
      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Tiffany. Thank you for writing your dituation and  circumstancesin such detail and so well writte, too. I particularly noticed what you wrote about brain for and feeling like your brain is swelling and I know from my own experiences that's how it feel and your brain really does swell and you get migraines.    Way back when I was in my 20s I read a book by 2 MD allergist and they described their patient who came in complaining that her brain, inside her cranium, was swelling  and it happened when she smelled a certain chemical she used in her home. She kept coming back and insisting her brain actually swelled in her head. The Drs couldn't explain this problem so they, with her permission, performed an operation where they made a small opening through her cranium, exposed her to the chemical then watched as she brain did swell into the opening. The DRs were amazed but then were able to advise her to avoid chemicals that made her brain swell. I remember that because I occasionally had brain fog then but it was not a serious problem. I also realized that I was becoming more sensitive to chemicals I used in my work in medical laboratories. By my mid forties the brain fog and chemicals forced me to leave my  profession and move to a rural area with little pollution. I did not have migraines. I was told a little later that I had a more porous blood brain barrier than other people. Chemicals in the air would go up into my sinused and leak through the blood brain barrier into my brain. We have 2 arteries  in our neck that carry blood with the nutrients and oxygen into the brain. To remove the fluids and used blood from the brain there are only capillaries and no large veins to carry it away so all those fluids ooze out much more slowly than they came in and since the small capillaries can't take care of extra fluid it results in swelling in the face, especially around the eyes. My blood flow into my brain is different from most other people as I have an arterial ischema, adefectiveartery on one side.   I have to go forward about 20 or more years when I learned that I had glaucoma, an eye problem that causes blindness and more years until I learned I had celiac disease.  The eye Dr described my glaucoma as a very slow loss of vision that I wouldn't  notice until had noticeable loss of sight.  I could have my eye pressure checked regularly or it would be best to have the cataracts removed from both eyes. I kept putting off the surgery then just overnight lost most of the vision in my left eye. I thought at the I had been exposed to some chemical and found out a little later the person who livedbehind me was using some chemicals to build kayaks in a shed behind my house. I did not realize the signifance  of this until I started having appointments with a Dr. in a new building. New buildings give me brain fog, loss of balance and other problems I know about this time I experienced visual disturbances very similar to those experienced by people with migraines. I looked further online and read that people with glaucoma can suffer rapid loss of sight if they have silent migraines (no headache). The remedy for migraines is to identify and avoid the triggers. I already know most of my triggers - aromatic chemicals, some cleaning materials, gasoline and exhaust and mold toxins. I am very careful about using cleaning agents using mostly borax and baking powder. Anything that has any fragrance or smell I avoid. There is one brand of dishwashing detergent that I can use and several brands of  scouring powder. I hope you find some of this helpful and useful. I have not seen any evidence that Celiac Disease is involved with migraines or glaucoma. Please come back if you have questions or if what I wrote doesn't make senseto you. We sometimes haveto learn by experience and finding out why we have some problems. Take care.       The report did not mention migraines. 
    • Mari
      My only proof

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Jmartes71 That is so much like my story! You probably know where Laytonville is and that's where I was living just before my 60th birthday when the new Dr. suggested I could have Celiacs. I didn't go on a gluten challange diet before having the Celiac panel blood test drawn. The results came back as equivical as one antibody level was very high but another, tissue transaminasewas normal. Itdid show I was  allergic to cows milk and I think hot peppers. I immediately went gluten free but did not go in for an endoscopy. I found an online lab online that would do the test to show if I had a main celiac gene (enterolab.com). The report came back that I had inherited a main celiac gene, DQ8, from one parent and a D!6 from the other parent. That combination is knows to sym[tons of celiac worse than just inheriting one main celiac gene. With my version of celiac disease I was mostly constipated but after going gluten-free I would have diarrhea the few times I was glutened either by cross contamination or eating some food containing gluten. I have stayed gluten-free for almost 20 years now and knew within a few days that it was right for me although my recovery has been slow.   When I go to see a  medical provide and tell them I have celiacs they don't believe me. The same when I tell them that I carry a main celiac gene, the DQ8. It is only when I tell them that I get diarrhea after eating gluten that they realize that I might have celiac disease. Then they will order th Vitamin B12 and D3 that I need to monitor as my B12 levels can go down very fast if I'm not taking enough of it. Medical providers haven't been much help in my recovery. They are not well trained in this problem. I really hope this helps ypu. Take care.      
    • knitty kitty
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Fascinating.
    • DebJ14
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By DebJ14 · Posted

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.